


Day 243

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [243]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:27:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26217136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [243]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 243

Nalanna woke in the tranquil quarters with a parchment detailing her day’s itinerary. After breakfast Nalanna reported to Elsa, another tranquil, for assessment.

“I know that sometimes it can be a challenge to adjust to this new existence,” said Elsa. “Especially if one is not made tranquil by choice, but fulfillment can be found in finding one’s place. Aptitudes in your life before will carry over so tell about your interests before and we will use that to set up a trial placement.”

Nalanna considered her response carefully. If escape was her final objective, certain placements would be more useful than others. She tried to think back to her time in the Circle before joining the Wardens. 

“I used to spend time studying ancient magical artifacts, to uncover their purpose or to theorize about new possibilities.”

“Perhaps you would fit well with Maddox,” Elsa said, making notes on her ledger. “He had complained often about the quality of his assistants.”

Another thing Nalanna would need was accomplices, she had already failed to escape the city once and the task before her was far more difficult. It would be imperative for her to choose her co-conspirators carefully, lest she be discovered.

“What is your assessment of the Knight Commander and the Kirkwall Circle?” she asked the other tranquil. Elsa didn’t even slow her scribbling as she answered.

“The Knight Commander is incredibly efficient, she cares about the wellbeing of the tranquil under her care and strives alwayse to bring the Circle into a state of breather order. There are many forces arrayed against her, both within the Circle and in the greater city and Meredith is focused on overcoming all these obstacles. Despite the turmoils in the city, I would rather be here than any other Circle.”

Nelanna decided that Elsa would not be a suitable candidate for her to confide in. She seemed loyal to Meredith and the Circle, even when compared to the other tranquill. Nalanna was directed to the workshop of a tranquil named Maddox. He showed her around his workshop and explained all his current projects. Most of his work was pretty standard for a Circle runecrafter except for a small piece of strange lyrium. Red lyrium.

Maddox explained that Meredith had bought it from a dwarven adventurer who had recovered it from a long untouched piece of the Deep Roads. Apparently mages, and even some templars, had audio hallucination when near the stuff. Only the tranquill seemed immune. Maddox had done what he could to render the material safe and crafted a sword for the Knight Commander out of what they had been given. Maddox had kept only a tiny sample to continue his research.

Nalanna did not think it prudent to mention that she could hear whispers when she approached the sample. It was like… it was like five years ago when the Blight was ravaging Ferelden. Like when the Archdemon was calling to her through the Blight.

She remembered it being very unsettling at the time but she could not quite remember why. The whispers were inaudible but as she focused they seemed to cry out for freedom. It could be the call of the remaining Archdemons, or perhaps that of Corypheus. Whatever this Red Lyrium was, it was tied to the Blight.

None of that was relevant to Nalanna’s current task. Maddox was a very dutiful tranquil, he impressed upon Nalanna the importance of making oneself useful to the templars. That was how one survived. Maddox was also a poor candidate for an ally in Nalanna’s escape.

Elsa and Maddox were the most well connected and powerful tranquil in the Circle. It was possible that she would have to look elsewhere for assistance. She would begin evaluating some of the mages though she judged her chances to be low. When she had been a Circle mage, she would have been suspicious of tranquil who seemed to be non-compliant. She had not thought the tranquil capable of having goals outside what the templars directed. She recognized now that she had been mistaken.


End file.
